“Violet,” she said, sounding scandalized. “What could possibly happen?”
“Maybe I’m in the mood. In the mood to make some things happen.”
“Like and such as?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I thought it was time that I had a little adventure.”
After making arrangements to swing by to get Clara in twenty minutes, Violet raced to get ready. She didn’t have anything all that sexy. She had a pair of jeans that were pretty tight, and a crop top that she didn’t hate that went with it. She put on makeup, quickly. She didn’t bother with it every day, but she did like it, and had a small collection of eyeshadow palletes that she wore maybe once a month. She looked at herself in the mirror and was reasonably satisfied with the level of anger-motivated attractiveness she had managed to get into place.
She went down the stairs and got in her car, and started to drive toward the Donnelly ranch. She waited in front of the old farmhouse, and Clara came out, and Violet saw as Alex reached out, grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back in, kissing her before releasing her again. Clara stumbled down to the car, looking flustered.
“He’s in a mood.”
“It doesn’t look like it’s a bad mood.”
Clara looked smug. “Oh, it’s not. But I owe him something when I get back.”
“Yeah. Looks like it.”
It was funny, because there was always going to be a little bit of awkwardness given that Alex was her uncle. But at the same time... She had been older when she’d gotten to know her uncles, and she essentially didn’t know him that well separated from his relationship with Clara, who was a good enough friend that she did share things about her love life. Just like Clara was keeper of the embarrassing knowledge that Violet was a virgin. It was one of those things that felt easy enough to compartmentalize. Because her friendship with Clara was so specific. And the relationship just didn’t feel like the one they actually had through marriage.
“So what’s going on?” Clara asked as they headed out toward town.
“Nothing.”
“Something is clearly going on. You are acting like you had a fire lit under your ass.”
“Well, maybe I did. Because maybe you’re right. Maybe I’ve been overcautious for a very long time. Maybe I am stuck trying to earn my dad and Alison’s love and affection by trying to be perfect. And maybe I need to stop that. Because they didn’t put it on me. I did.”
“That’s a lot of sudden realization to be triggered by nothing.”
Violet realized she wasn’t getting out of this without some explanation. “Wolf propositioned me.”
“I see.”
“And I didn’t realize it. He thought I was going to come to his room. And I just thought because we had kissed for the first time we were several steps away from that.”
“Oh. Honey. Bless.”
“I didn’t know. And so I thought he was going to come back tonight, and I had made the decision that I was going to... But he didn’t come back. He didn’t come back to the bed-and-breakfast. For all I know he’s out whoring it up right now.”
“Did you just call him a whore?”
“It is my understanding that he is a little bit of a whore. So maybe I should be one.”
“I hate to break it to you. But I don’t think going and hooking up at a bar is going to make you a whore.”
“Well, then maybe I’ll stand on the street corner and charge for it.”
“You could. But that probably would make your dad mad.”
“Well, I don’t want to do that. But...”
“I didn’t know you were self-destructive when you were thwarted,” Clara said. “That’s concerning.”
“I’m not being self-destructive,” Violet said. “But I am working to dismantle the rules that I have built around my life that were imposed on me by no one other than myself, and do not serve me.”
“Well, that makes going out to a bar to get drunk and hook up sound almost worthy.”